Does this robot make your acoustic guitar LOUDER? Or is it a waste of time.

In this video, we're going to review the Dr. Herringbone Tone Traveler. This device is marketed as a way to break in your guitar and possibly make your acoustic guitar louder, but is it really worth the money? After watching this video, you'll be able to decide for yourself if the Tone Traveler is worth buying or not.
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[@Mickey_M13]

I'd be curious if the initial volume being high, then dropping is due to the battery voltage dropping (and thus a weaker vibration) after sustaining power for a period of time. It's difficult for batteries to sustain an exact output from cold to warm sustained to dead - usually you'll see a strong voltage followed by a slight drop for a long period of time, then a sharp drop to dead. This is very common in flashlights as the lithium battery warms/sustains power from cold. The light will run bright for a min then dim slightly, even without a recharge each time, unless it has specific circuitry to prevent this.

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

That's an interesting idea. I bet we could test for that just by taking the guitar out of the equation. If we experience the same volume fluctuations then we'd know it's not the Tone Traveler interacting with the guitar it's just its own battery.

[@Mickey_M13]

@@LessonsWithMarcel Good call...that would be a good control. The more I think about this, it's also possible the increase in volume is due to the battery warming up as I believe voltage on lithium batteries usually has a sharp drop from cold, then can also have a [brief] gradual climb as the cell warms, then a gradual drop as the cell warms/discharges more, then a sharp drop before dying (or going below regulated voltage). I'm not 100% sure about the climb as the cell warms, and it may depend on the cell and circuitry of the device, but either way, a control should reveal this...at least in theory :)

[@dinkaboutit4228]

I don't doubt that vibrating the guitar top will improve it's response, my question is: why don't I just set the guitar on top of one of the many speakers I already own? If the top is vibrating it's vibrating, I don't see that physical contact with the bridge and the speaker is necessary. I think the audio file that comes with the device is > the device. Snake oil is so hard to get off.

[@Crispy_Music_2024]

The physical contact is so that it requires less power to vibrate the instrument. You can accomplish the same thing using normal speakers as long as they're playing the correct frequencies and the volume is high enough.

[@grassstains3491]

I bought one for my recently acquired Bourgeois Bryan Sutton LE that had not been played much, after a week of 6 hours at night I am impressed with the results. It is legit.

[@paulawhtkr001]

I agree. I have mine on about 8 hours straight for a week. That was when I saw the difference.

[@keyofb9513]

I have had the tonerite for a few years now and I think it definitely makes a difference

[@MrMd5555]

Rumor has it if you put a speaker in your sound hole & play 'you gotta have faith' into it by George Michael's, not only will your guitar sound like a 1936 D28 but it will also strum itself if you take it into a public bathroom!

[@Bairov]

Lmao 🤣 🤣

[@guypeck7080]

I'm a mechanical engineer and am very curious about your experiment setup and the data you collected. One of my old professors is a well-known (in the world of engineering) and published engineer, his expertise being in the field of vibrational analysis. I'm going to see what he thinks about your results. If he can't see a reason why your results don't point to this device being effective in increasing the sound of your guitar, I'm definitely buying one.

[@Londubh]

And? What did he say?

[@AlanCath]

And did you buy one?

[@kamarienedwards1757]

Bro doesn’t want us to know😭😭

[@davewoelkers6189]

I got one of those I’ve used it for 20-30 hours and a guy at the jam asked how old my D18 is and I said “it’s a 2018” he said “whaleeee” lmao point is this is the best investment to really spruce up a guitar.

[@jsherrydds]

Given the number of hours many worn in instruments have over the years, I would like to see a comparison between initial baseline and a much longer test period with this device; days if not more. I also think your idea of using a newer guitar for testing makes sense.

[@johnnielson7676]

I agree. I think testing at 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and 1 year with the Tone Traveller for 5 hours, 5 days a week with the guitar being kept at a constant humidity.

[@WillyPDX94]

Way back more than 10 years ago I had a couple of string vibration units. I think they were called ToneRites. It was a small block that had a ridged rubber bottom that wedged between the strings. You turned it on and the unit vibrated the strings just enough to transmit some of that vibration to the top. I don't think the ToneRite was capable of breaking in a new guitar per se, but it could "wake up" at guitar that wasn't being played regularly. I tried the Tonerite on a series of minty used Martin dreadnaughts which I bought and sold back in the heyday of Craigslist and Mandolin Cafe, before Reverb made it difficult to find guitars below market value. I found It could "wake up" a tight guitar, but the effects were not lasting. It wasn't breaking the guitar in, just loosening them up the way a few hours of playing would do just as well. This new gadget is more sophisticated, but intuitively I question whether it makes any lasting changes in a guitar's voice.

[@AcousticWisdom]

Did you play your Martin after it was on for awhile? If so, did you notice anything other than more volume? Have you used the tonerite? If so, other than price, how did the results compare? Thanks for the great video!

[@RandySchartiger]

I got one of these for review and was shocked how much it helped every guitar I tried it on, the longer you can use it the more it helps!

[@vw9659]

Your "measurements" (and those of the company) rely on a number of untested assumptions. For example that the contact between the device and the guitar does not change over time (which would not be unusual for a non-rigidly fixed device). Also, any change in string tuning over time would change the correspondence between the shaker's resonant frequency(s) and those of the strings, leading to different radiated sympathetic vibrations. Furthermore, even if the effects of the shaker on shaker-induced sympathetic vibrations were real, there is no evidence of any beneficial effect on how the guitar performs under normal playing. There are established ways of testing guitar radiation. This is not one of them.

[@MichaelMarkGuitar]

12:06 Please tell me he's gonna pull out the Martin-Smith 12:19 Bwahahahaha

[@ssmabecrelis6443]

I love this device. I don’t find it loud and it does exactly what I paid for. 5 stars for the tone traveler.

[@neugentcycling938]

Marcel - I have a similar product called a ToneRite that shakes the strngs. I put it on my 1971 D35 which I have not played (I don't like the neck) in decades and it made a huge difference. I also put it on a fairly new Orangewood and it did make a difference but not as much. The Orangewood is a $500 spruce top laminated back and sides. On both guitars I put it on for one week solid. I live in a 4 bedroom house by myself so noise is not an issue. I mostly play a '90s Taylor (solid spruce and mahogany) which I love (I am not the only flatpicker who likes Taylors) and have not tried it on that since I play a few hours a day and didn't think it would do much for it.

[@WysteriaGuitar]

The question is - is the effect permanent or does it degrade back to it's original state?

[@paulawhtkr001]

I bought one of these at IBMA. I love it. I have a 1970s Silvertone acoustic- all mahogony- that I had rebraced by Scott Baxendale in Athens GA. I put this on it every night for a week and WOW! It has come alive. This old Silvertone is sounding as good as some of my other much higher dollar guitars. It’s not magic of course. I’d get the same effect if I could play it and my others for hours on end. But I can’t. I bought it to keep my guitars from going dead when I can’t get to them for a while.

[@peterpopplewell8763]

Do a sound recording from when you stop and start the tone traveler. When you check it. See if it takes awhile to open up. Try to not stop it during the 5 hours.

[@jockejansson5239]

This works, made a big difference on both guitars i tried it on! I havent noticed any change in volume, but i didnt listen for that, just the balance and shimmer/overtones.

[@andorrasrevenge1683]

That hum/drone from the unit is quite dense and charming. I will say I have been listening to a good bit of experimental and minimal music in the last year. So there is that…,

[@girliedog]

I missed the part where you said it worked?

[@911elijah]

Why would you do this demo on an already old guitar?

[@MoveUpMedia]

So no one can do a back to back A/B test? I scrubbed through the video hoping you'd do a before and after. Either I missed it or you didn't do it. I saw Tone Traveler's "experiment" video as well. They didn't do a before and after test actually playing the guitar. Weird. This is the one thing any of us care about. Here's how it sounded in real life before - and here's what it sounds like now.

[@michaelmullins1290]

I use to lay my guitar across a speaker. I rednecked a device to hold the guitar. I felt like it helped a lot. Best part was, it was music I was listening to.

[@Flatpicknation]

Oh it works ❤!

[@kevinallen6509]

You need a baseline with the speaker but without a guitar, then repeat with the speaker + guitar.

[@michaelhornhavermortensen9910]

One thing is volume, but what happened to the tone of your guitars? Would have been nice to hear a comparison before and after.

[@gcgoods]

Great video. Your video production quality is fantastic by the way. Interesting product too!

[@troy9406]

Hey Marcel, I was hoping to catch a live tuesday seen as im off work today. It can be hard with the time differences, I'm in australia. seen as i've missed you, I wanted to mention a player i discovered recently and wanted to share, maybe you know him "Bob Minner" he has a great version of old grimes,. He also has a piece I at some point might invest to get you to transcribe it's called "ashland breakdown" let me know what you think! : ) as always thanks for your hard work and giving me a channel here on youtube to always check into.

[@zosobao5150]

Well. Here is what I would do to make your instrument louder. I would make a device like this and very gradually increase the amplitude of the vibration over a course of time. And because most people are measuring the volume, a very small increase in vibration strength from the device would show as increased volume on the recording software. This would be really, really, easy to do. The only real test would be to somehow show that after two days or so of not testing and the guitar not being disturbed that once a retest began the guitar “loudness” was higher than the 1st test. Once, again though, I could make this even happen in the software. So, you need a second device not associated with the tone traveler to vibrate the guitar to check initial and final numbers.

[@nixternal]

I think they would do better if A) they sold the app & B) they also sold the adapter for that speaker so it hangs nicely like that.. That bluetooth speaker is actually pretty nice and on Prime day it is usually on sale for $10, or $15 to $20 every other day. I personally and not sold on the science as I am an audiophile who doesn't spend a butt ton for "cables with magic crystals".

[@f5mando]

I've had really good results from ToneRite on mandolins and guitars over the years.

[@brockbarnes9795]

I’m not super skeptical, however I do wonder if the “opening up” you are capturing is in part due to the “opening up” or breaking in of the speaker in the Tone Traveler device. Much like people say (the more you play a guitar the more it opens up… that same theory is used for speakers as well. So could the tone traveler speaker be getting louder and producing more volume and vibration the more it is on and opens up itself? That’s not to say it isn’t working on the guitar. I’m sure it is to some extent. But I would think maybe two a lesser degree than these “scientific experiments” are suggesting.

[@skoffco]

Hey nice Acutron watch! I had one in 1967 wish I still had it. I think you should do a future video on that watch being that it is tuned to a musical frequency lol.

[@David-uq2uk]

I'm not convinced .same as prs saying the tuner peg shapes make more sustain and Gibson fret cleaner gives you more Sustain. I mean common. Just buy a guitar and play it in or get a 15 year old Martin or Taylor .

[@davidbingley6734]

I'm surprised that they don't make a metal insert for the sound hole to make acoustic guitars louder during solos for open jams without having to plug in. I know, buy a resonator, but that could get expensive. I know there's a demand here and everyone seems to know it except for the manufacturers.

[@peterasmussen2933]

just place your guitar in front of the tv. I mean if these results are so hard to detect its not worth the money!

[@Halliday7895]

i just used an E bow to do the same thing in a few mins haha seems to have done something ...2013 HD28

[@bradsparks6008]

Thanks for this video I'm on the edge of getting one! But I think I want that cool asf hat first haha...

[@robertsteinberger]

So maybe the software doesn't put out a constant volume throughout the session?

[@doughutcherson9777]

I think to be fair you need to start off using the traveler for at least a week, after all you are comparing it to years of use. I have used it on 2 Martins a Taylor a mandolin and my fiddle. I'm satisfied.

[@AlanCath]

What was the actual volume difference, in dB?

[@volpe109]

What if it is the Tone Traveler that is getting louder?

[@tomehCanada]

Is the App turning the exciter power up and down during the four hour run???

[@raytaylor372]

Just more PROOF that P.T. Barnum knew what he was talking about.

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

im pretty sure you could get the same results with a small bluetooth speaker placed inside the guitar and streaming a drone video from youtube

[@handdancin]

can someone tell me what is actually happening to the guitar at a physical level

[@Engineers_disease]

So this is a device to save me the trouble of having to play my lovely new Martin?!

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

Haha, more like keep your guitar warm when you're busy. It also adds a beautiful ambience to any room in the house. Let the aggressive hum sing you to sleep or drive you mad. Your choice.

[@paulawhtkr001]

It saves your second and third Martins in the closet while you play the Martin you currently can’t put down. If you only have 1 or 2 guitars and can play a lot you probably won’t gain much IMHO.

[@robmiller3464]

Marcel, first video you’ve done that didn’t culminate in a rational response in my opinion. You should tell your viewers that playing their guitar for practice purposes will make you a better guitarist and probably enhance the volume of the guitar over time. To artificially enhance the sound of a guitar you don’t have time to play is something you should have thought through before buying in my opinion. Thanks for the video Marcel.

[@mikepower4113]

Do you know if it will work on a 12 string? Nothing on the internet about a 12 string.

[@LegsON]

Why wouldn't it?

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

THE NEW PET ROCK. COULD IT BE THE DEVICE ITSELF IS A SMALL GIMMIC AMPLIFIER. COMMON SENSE SAYS ITS B.S.

[@Mando287Banjo]

i wonder if this would work on a banjo

[@MickeyAbraham2022]

That ain't no part of nothing .....lol

[@petefeltman]

bwahaha

[@gregalderson128]

On the cheap guitar, it isn't solid wood. I wouldn't imagine you would see much on the cheap guitar.??

[@loco.joe.goldfinger]

Hell yeah! More "I'm not a scientist" videos, please!

[@marcelchaloupka]

I get the idea but would have thought white noise would have been better and it’s the full spectrum

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

You can set it to play any number of frequencies of your choosing. I just went with standard tuning for this experiment!

[@marcelchaloupka]

@@LessonsWithMarcel yes but with white noise you wouldn’t need to do that as white nose is full spectrum

[@AcousticWisdom]

Would like to see a spectrum analyzer like izotope has to see what frequencies are being activated or toned down/balanced over time.

[@barkrussell4083]

Watch Factory tour of Alvarez yairi guitar put their guitars in room loud music couple weeks before shipping they claim it helps guitar sound better

[@petefeltman]

did you ever see that movie Pi when the guy loses his mind and takes a drill to is forehead??

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

I identify with that film now.

[@jamiemorris2498]

I love the hat and the shirt!

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Ok, so the first test was with a 50+ year old guitar that was "broken in" years ago and your second test was with a cheap POS? My guess is the vibration loosened up all of the glue joints on the POS, that's why it got quieter. Why not test a new, quality guitar? -Just my 2 cents worth.. :)

[@KeefsCattys]

Would this work with a mandolin ?

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

It does have a mando setting.

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

I put one of these up my @ss, while I slept at night. Not only did it cure my hemorrhoid problem, but it had me farting in key.

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

I heard a guy did that same thing but ended up winning a chess tournament...

[@justclarkband]

Seems like a gimmick. Why wouldn’t you just play your guitar more and work for it! Or buy a well used guitar

[@Bluelightcheaphotel]

I remember a few year back there was some outfit (mandovoodoo or something like that) where you send your mandolin to some guy in Florida and he’d send it back sounding significantly older/better. I bought a couple of cartons of Old Golds instead. Think I made the better choice

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

Hahahaha

[@tonygarner3942]

I truly feel this should’ve been sold as more a gimmick with a price range between $30 and $50. So many things work better.

[@chrischarles1468]

The big question is … can you tell a positive difference or think you can tell a positive difference in the guitar now that it’s undergone the process. That’s what we want to know.

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

A FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED ! IF YOUR A FOOL THEN BUY ONE .......... OR TWO !

[@David-uq2uk]

Yes that what these companies do. Power of suggestion. They state it works and most gullible people believe it. Like Paul reed smith saying his new tunners with a prs design shape on the buttons give guitar more sustain 😂

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

@@David-uq2uk WHAT I AM SHOCKED AT IS WHY HASN'T ANYONE YET TO SAY THAT THE WOOD ON THE HEADSTOCK MAKES A DIFFERENCE ? NOT ONLY THAT THIS WOOD IS WARMER SOUNDING OR BRIGHTER AND GIVES MORE SUSTAIN TOO. THE FOOLS WOULD EAT THAT UP. ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAD A ROCK STAR PLAYER BACKING THAT B'S. TOO. L.O.L.

[@Keelsman]

Wow, looks pretty legit!

[@michaelwebster8389]

Interesting. Also, it doesn't prove that those changes are retained over time. I've always been very doubtful about the playing the guitar affecting the sound, but maybe there's something to it.

[@Michael777Simmons]

Awesome shirt.... A

[@jsherrydds]

I am laughing my a.. off.

[@NoCoverCharge]

Plug it in it will be louder

[@TheGordeaux]

what a gimmick, imo

[@christiantaylor4276]

If you play the thing everyday..

[@aniquinstark4347]

Yeah this is definitely placebo

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

Well that's why I didn't want to just play it before and after and say "Wow, isn't it great!?" At least in this test there is quantifiable data that the guitar did get slightly louder. So no placebo effect here unfortunately. Something did happen with the volume of the guitar, we recorded it. Another commenter did mention the battery could be having an effect on the volume. So that could explain the growing volume on the recording. Maybe worth another experiment.

[@MrNocaster]

You deleted my comment so I'll rephrase the question...Why the tablet and not just an app? Seems like it would lower the cost.

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

I didn't delete a comment? You might have been auto-flagged by KZbin for some reason. No idea why they went with a tablet and not an app. That would be a good question to ask them though. Maybe it's because of the dedicated Bluetooth connection? If it was an app on your phone you would have to stay next to the thing all day while it's running so the Bluetooth can stay connected. If the speaker wasn't using Bluetooth it would have to use wifi and maybe making a wifi enabled speaker was expensive? No idea.

[@daggad02]

Play the damned thing. If it is good now it will be better. Is is bad now it will not improve much..;)

[@chuckrrose]

Get you a white lab coat, son, and $1000 Recording King or a lower end Eastman and let ‘er rip. Banjo killer on the way! 😂

[@btpearce]

Nice :-)

[@SMAWA9]

Just use a normal Bluetooth speaker and listen to music instead of noise. 😂

[@evanwilliams8908]

The tone traveller itself is probably changing volume, not the guitar. Pseudo scientific junk. This isn’t why old guitars sound good.

[@JacobHeadMusic]

This is a 1960s “1935” 😂

[@TyeeHox]

It's for a guitar in the back of the closet that doesn't get played. You won't notice it on a guitar that is regularly played. I invented one of these 25 years ago.

[@stixx3969]

Wow, how loud would that be on a banjo?

[@dreadpirateroberts5239]

Dude where do I get that shirt though? Lol

[@ManchurianCounterweight]

That there device is Snake Earl I tell ya.